This invention relates to electrical discharge devices.
Once a dielectric material carries an electrical charge, whether generated by electrical induction or applied by a charging device, it is difficult to discharge the dielectric material so that it will not be attracted electrostatically to other bodies.
An electrical discharge device which has been proposed for discharging a sheet of paper passing beneath it comprises an insulated conductor carrying a high alternating voltage, the conductor being provided with a number of spikes extending towards the path of the paper, the spikes being conductive and capacitatively coupled to the conductor. Electrical discharges from the spikes cause the paper to be discharged as it passes the device. Such a device is unsatisfactory because an operator who touches the spikes during operation may receive an electrical shock. Furthermore, the device is expensive to manufacture.